"Professional learning communities (PLCs) provide the best possible environment for student learning and growth, but the need for virtual and hybrid classrooms has made it challenging for PLCs to thrive. With their book Virtual PLCs: A Guide to Effectively Implementing Online and Hybrid Teaching and Learning, authors Paul C. Farmer and Dennis King provide a thorough guide for implementing the PLC process in virtual and hybrid classrooms. Included in this book are discussions on basic PLC principles, the four pillars of a PLC, and PLC leadership, all within the context of virtual or hybrid learning. The book also touches on how to maintain school culture through virtual school and how to ensure the PLC goal of high levels of student learning is present no matter what the classroom looks like. Education is evolving beyond the four walls of a classroom, and Virtual PLCs ensures the PLC process will evolve right along with it"--

Covering theory where useful, but maintaining an emphasis on practice, this helpful book provides teachers and lecturers with an accessible introduction to e-learning.

This book encourages readers to explore significant aspects of current thinking in primary education (for ages three to 13 years) focusing on pedagogy: the study of processes of teaching. The authors consider contexts, knowledge, skills and curriculum within a framework of practice. A distinctive feature is the voices of teachers, children, parents, advisors and inspectors. The book covers: learning, knowledge and pedagogy; pedagogic issues, application of practice. The authors also present a discussion of national strategies and The National Curriculum update for 2000, discussions of a world-wide curriculum, and ICT and citizenship viewed as tools for developing aspects of pedagogy.

Scores of talented and dedicated people serve the forensic science community, performing vitally important work. However, they are often constrained by lack of adequate resources, sound policies, and national support. It is clear that change and advancements, both systematic and scientific, are needed in a number of forensic science disciplines to ensure the reliability of work, establish enforceable standards, and promote best practices with consistent application. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward provides a detailed plan for addressing these needs and suggests the creation of a new government entity, the National Institute of Forensic Science, to establish and enforce standards within the forensic science community. The benefits of improving and regulating the forensic science disciplines are clear: assisting law enforcement officials, enhancing homeland security, and reducing the risk of wrongful conviction and exoneration. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States gives a full account of what is needed to advance the forensic science disciplines, including upgrading of systems and organizational structures, better training, widespread adoption of uniform and enforceable best practices, and mandatory certification and accreditation programs. While this book provides an essential call-to-action for congress and policy makers, it also serves as a vital tool for law enforcement agencies, criminal prosecutors and attorneys, and forensic science educators.

Teaching Science to English Learners is a go-to resource for science educators to promote listening, speaking, reading, and writing in their classrooms. Each chapter outlines specific, easy-to-implement strategies that foster academic language development and comprehension of science concepts, with specific scaffolds highlighted for each language proficiency level. Teaching Science to English Learners is thoughtfully designed to help teachers equip students to navigate inquiry-driven instruction, understand abstract science concepts, and master the multitude of science vocabulary that can be challenging for ELs and non-ELs alike. By equipping teachers with strategies to draw from students’ prior knowledge and focus on collaboration, this book helps science teachers make lessons accessible for all learners, while deepening content comprehension and developing academic language. Teaching Science to English Learners is the second in a set of books designed to help content-area teachers create learning environments in which English learners thrive.

Three-dimensional (3D) immersive virtual worlds have been touted as being capable of facilitating highly interactive, engaging, multimodal learning experiences. Much of the evidence gathered to support these claims has been anecdotal but the potential that these environments hold to solve traditional problems in online and technology-mediated education—primarily learner isolation and student disengagement—has resulted in considerable investments in virtual world platforms like Second Life, OpenSimulator, and Open Wonderland by both professors and institutions. To justify this ongoing and sustained investment, institutions and proponents of simulated learning environments must assemble a robust body of evidence that illustrates the most effective use of this powerful learning tool. In this authoritative collection, a team of international experts outline the emerging trends and developments in the use of 3D virtual worlds for teaching and learning. They explore aspec ts of learner interaction with virtual worlds, such as user wayfinding in Second Life, communication modes and perceived presence, and accessibility issues for elderly or disabled learners. They also examine advanced technologies that hold potential for the enhancement of learner immersion and discuss best practices in the design and implementation of virtual world-based learning interventions and tasks. By evaluating and documenting different methods, approaches, and strategies, the contributors to Learning in Virtual Worlds offer important information and insight to both scholars and practitioners in the field.

Management Information Systems provides comprehensive and integrative coverage of essential new technologies, information system applications, and their impact on business models and managerial decision-making in an exciting and interactive manner. The twelfth edition focuses on the major changes that have been made in information technology over the past two years, and includes new opening, closing, and Interactive Session cases.